Letter of resignation

What is a Letter of Resignation?

A letter of resignation is a formal legal document that employees can use to announce their decision to leave an employer they currently work for. This is an official written notice of resignation that can be used in both the public and private sectors.

Neither federal nor state laws define a specific letter of resignation format an employee has to follow. Some businesses, however, may establish within their internal policies and guidelines specific requirements for such a letter.

The typical structure of a simple letter of resignation includes the following elements:

• full details of an employee who wants to quit;
• full details of an employer;
• reasons for resignation;
• any additional information (optional); and
• include the date and the signature of the employee.

The law does not require a notice of resignation to be in a written format. Though, it is a good business practice to create it in a written form. Using a letter of resignation sample allows one to frame an employee’s decision to resign in a professional and respectful way.

There is no specific requirement on how an employee should send their letter of resignation. Thus, it could be sent via email, delivered in person, or sent by post. It is highly recommended to check an employee’s handbook in advance to make sure your employer does not require a letter of resignation to be sent in a very specific way.

How to write a Letter of Resignation?

Even though a simple letter of resignation might not appear hard to draft from scratch, there are a number of tricky details you might not be aware of. Therefore, below we prepared for you a checklist of important things you have to keep in mind when creating a sample of resignation letter to employer.

Employee’s details

Whether a company you plan to resign from has a hundred or few employees only, a good letter of resignation template should include the following information:

• employee’s full name and address;
• employee’s job title and contact details;
• name of a department an employee currently works in (for big companies only).

Employer’s details

Before sending a letter of resignation, check a company’s internal policies. Usually an employee’s or staff handbook can specify to whom exactly a letter should be sent. This is especially the case for big companies. As a rule of thumb, a letter of resignation sample should be addressed to a company’s CEO, head of the HR department, or your immediate supervisor.

Notice period

Usually a letter of resignation sample should be sent at least two weeks before the last day in the company. However, some companies may establish a longer notice period depending on an employee’s duties and job title.

Reason for resignation

An employee has a right to file a letter of resignation at any time. Reasons to do so might be different, for instance:

• new job;
• family relocation;
• desire for new professional challenges;
• retirement;
• disagreement with a company’s management, etc.

The last day of work should also be indicated in the text of a letter. This helps employers to adjust a company’s workflow before an employee’s actual departure.

Confidentiality

When it comes to a company’s management or senior staff, a letter of resignation sometimes needs to remain confidential for a certain period of time. If this is the case, an employee may request confidentiality directly in a sample of resignation letter to the employer.

Date and Signature

For a letter of resignation sample to become a legally binding document, it should be dated and signed by an employee.

Get your customized letter of resignation template at Faster Draft

In order to get your personalized simple letter of resignation, follow a few easy steps below:

• Press the button “Created Document;”
• Answer a few questions in the questionnaire;
• Select a letter of resignation format – PDF or Word;
• Make a payment;
• Get your customized letter of resignation template.